BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGIES FOR REDUCED WASTE AQUACULTURE

While recent years have witnessed dramatic advances in the reduction o f aquaculture waste production, primarily due to advances in feed tech nology, the co-implementation of new bioengineering and biotechnologic al strategies are vital for alleviating the environmental impact of th e rapidly expanding global aquaculture industry. The deployment of a n ew generation of automated feeding devices, and continued advances in recirculation technologies for land-based systems are amongst the more significant bioengineering advances that have resulted in reduced was te production. Advances in feed technologies will continue to play a p ivotal role in the reduction of aquculture waste. Further, the advent of modem recombinant DNA technologies now allows for the economic prod uction of a variety of feed supplements, most notably microbial phytas es. Other, often overlooked, biotechnological strategies for achieving improved growth and conversion efficiencies include such physiologica l modifications as sustained exercise and compensatory growth. Somewha t more controversial biotechnological methods which may be beneficial in reduced waste management include endocrine manipulations and geneti c engineering. Again, recent advances in recombinant DNA and transgeni c technologies have also led to renewed interest in these strategies.